Artistic Team

HUGH LEVICK, founder and director

Graduating cum laude from Yale University, and with an MFA from the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, Hugh Levick set off for Paris to write a novel. In Paris he returned to his musical beginnings and the saxophone, studying and playing with Anthony Braxton, Steve Lacy and the Chicago Art Ensemble, amongst others. Later in NYC he studied composition at Julliard with Stanley Wolfe and David Diamond, and privately with John Cage and Vinko Globokar.

LYRIS QUARTET, artistic advisors

The Lyris Quartet is a Los Angeles based string quartet. The quartet was created from a conversation between violinist Alyssa Park, who has enjoyed an illustrious career as an international soloist and is the youngest prizewinner in the history of the Tchaikovsky International Competition and violinist Shalini Vijayan who has built a career as an advocate of modern music as a member of Grammy nominated groups, Absolute Ensemble and Southwest Chamber Music. Drawing on their diverse backgrounds, these musicians chose to create a string quartet that could encompass their love for both standard and modern repertoire and commission works from living composers. Violist Luke Maurer and cellist Timothy Loo joined the group and Lyris was formally founded in 2008.

GLORIA CHENG, artistic advisor

Pianist Gloria Cheng is widely cited for performances that unveil the emotional core of music both new and old. She is the winner of the 2009 Grammy for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance, while her newest disc, The Edge of Light: Messiaen/Saariaho, in collaboration with the Calder Quartet, was a 2014 Nominee in the same category.

WILLIAM KRAFT, artistic advisor

William Kraft has had a long and active career as composer, conductor, timpanist/percussionist and teacher. He is Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he served for 11 years (1991 – 2002) as Chairman of the Composition

Collaborations

Support

HEAR NOW is supported by the Colburn Foundation, The Berklee College of Music, The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, National Endowment for the Arts, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, and individual contributions. Support for the ongoing HEAR NOW – Paris project is provided by the Mona Bismarck American Center, FACE, the Salabert Foundation, the Ensemble TM+, and the French Ministry of Culture.